Boxers fall short on two-game road trip

soccer -- Pacific women catch a few tough breaks during losses to Whitman and Whitworth on the road

Pacific hit the highway for a two-game road swing to eastern Washington over the weekend, but the Boxers came home saddled with a pair of losses at the hands of Whitman and Whitworth in Northwest Conference women's soccer action.

The Boxers (2-11-2, 0-11-1) took Whitman to overtime on Sunday but fell on a dazzling 50-yard strike by defender Elle Burstein that just tipped off the fingers of Pacific goalkeeper Shannon Tillman.

Burstein's goal capped a remarkable comeback for Whitman (5-4-4, 5-3-4), which trailed 2-0 in the second half after Pacific netted two quick goals from Becca Roth and Courtney Ratty. The Missionaries nudged their way in front with three straight scores from Kristen Berndt, Sammie Arthur and Berndt again in the 76th minute. Pacific managed to tie things up and force overtime with a strike from Meghan Fredette in the 80th minute.

In overtime, Burstein lined up a free kick near midfield and unleashed a laser that beat a sprawling Tillman for the game-winner.

Saturday's showdown with Whitworth (11-2-2, 9-2-1) was another frustrating affair, as Pacific fell 2-1 on a goal by Greta Thibodeau with just 43 seconds remaining.

Whitworth, currently tied for second place in the Northwest Conference standings, found itself tied with Pacific in the waning moments of the match. That was when Thibodeau - who also scored the Pirates' first goal in the second minute - beat Tillman high for the winning score. Fredette knotted things up with a goal in the 59th minute.